Counter Offer
POV: Reginald
The request that Desmond had made of me was a tough one. I had not really had a chance to carefully weigh which of my children would receive the title upon my retirement. I thought that I would have plenty of time to think about it but now here I was having to think about it at the request of my friend Desmond Baltiliard. I had wondered if he requested this of Marquis Maigny but I didn’t want to insult him. I looked over at Lucien who had his brows furrowed, likely troubled by the request as well. I loved my daughter dearly and was preparing her to take over the title that her mother and I would retire from within the next five years. She was, after all, my only child up until a few weeks ago when we found out about Ashton. I had no intention to play favorites with my children when handing on the title. I could also understand why Desmond would want his daughter to be a Duchess. It was certainly a more powerful upgrade from being a marquess, especially having the title from House Batiste which was only second to House Doré. I sighed, “You will forgive me Desmond but I will need to speak with my family about this.” Desmond nodded, “Of course. I had anticipated that when I made the request. I can wait here for you to speak with your wife and daughter.” I guess we couldn’t bring in Ashton but I had wondered how he would feel about having the title and responsibilities of a Duke suddenly thrust upon him. I rose to my feet and excused myself.
As I stepped out of the room, I called out to Dana. She appeared from the dining room and asked, “Yes, Your Grace?” I sighed, “Where are the Duchess and Alexandra?” She looked towards where she had been, “They are taking tea in the dining room.” I nodded, “Perfect, I need to speak with them.” I walked toward the dining room and Dana caught up with me, “Would you like a cup of tea as well, Your Grace?” I nodded, “Please.” The two women who were merrily chatting earlier were both startled to see me. Alexandra rose from her seat and crossed the room and gave me a peck on the cheek, “Are you all done already? You look a little upset.” I sighed, “Not done yet, I needed to come to talk to you and your mother about what Desmond is asking for. Where are your guests by the way?” Litha and Alesha had been visiting the last couple of days and I was honestly surprised not to see them there. She smiled, “They went out to the meadow in front of Dorothea’s place to spar. They said they’d be back soon since Alesha was going to go with her father once he is done here.” I sat down next to Talia and clenched my jaw then sighed again, “So, Desmond has asked that I give the title to Ashton upon my retirement.” Talia gasped, “Surely he can’t ask that! We haven’t even discussed it with our children. We can’t make this decision without Ashton being here. Alexandra has been training for the position of Duchess for months, you can’t just take it from her for the sake of Alesha!” Alexandra gently touched her mother’s hand, “I appreciate you sticking up for me mother but I think I will make it easy for Daddy and abdicate my candidacy. I want Ashton to be happy with the woman he loves. If this ensures his happiness, I am willing to sacrifice the position.” I looked down at her hand on her mother’s and spoke, “That’s sweet Xan. It really is but it isn’t that simple. Would Ashton be okay with you giving it up just for him? Would he even want the power? I cannot say. We cannot make this decision without Ashton.”
Suddenly my son’s voice echoed in the room, “What decision can’t you make without me?” Alexandra’s face lit up and she hopped out of her chair, “Ashton! What are you doing here? How?” He threw his arm around her shoulders, “His Majesty let me in on the tunnel secret from campus to here. I took it and saw His Majesty and Marquis Baltiliard in the study. They told me father came to speak to you and mother.” She pulled him into the room and sat him next to her, “Glad you’re here because we need your most valid input to our current dilemma.” He looked at me and said, “Oh? Is something the matter father?” Another sigh escaped my mouth, “We are negotiating your engagement. The problem is the demand from Marquis Baltiliard.” He smiled, “Is he asking for Dana? Because you can just tell him no, you know. She’s so awesome for taking good care of my sweet sister.” He smiled at Alexandra who shook her head at him, “Nope, Daddy said he wants his daughter to have the title of House Batiste when he retires.” Ashton’s eyes widened and he whipped his head toward me, “Are you serious?” I nodded at him and he asked, “What is he offering in return?” I looked down at my hands which I was wringing with each passing second, “Two prized fouls for you and your sister.” Ashton’s jaw clenched and he shook his head, “Not good enough for what he’s asking. That title is rightfully Alexandra’s. I won’t take what’s hers.” She smiled at him and shook her head, “No, brother. I don’t want it. I fully intend on a higher title anyhow. I want you to have your love by taking on the Duke title and I want to have my love by taking on the title of Queen. If I make my goal, I don’t need the title from father.” He sighed, “You cannot guarantee that, Xan. The council could pick any of the other ladies.” She shook her head, “Even so, dear brother, I don’t need a title to be content. I didn’t know we had one until recently and I am perfectly fine with not having it again.” Ashton drew in a deep breath and threw his head back to stare up at the ceiling. After a little while, he looked back at me, “Father, I will honor my sister’s wishes but you’re still getting screwed.” Talia grunted, “Language!” Ashton blushed and looked down, “Sorry, Mother. I mean he is getting fleeced.” Talia nodded, “Harsh as the delivery may be, Ashton is right. What should we ask for in return then?”
We all sat in silence, each of us thinking about what could be equivalent to a title of the most powerful house in Vellum aside from Mesha and Doré. Alexandra rose from her seat and walked out of the room. The three of us left in the room all looked at each other confused. A short while later, she came into the room pulling Alesha in after her. She closed the door behind Alesha who asked, “I’m confused as to why you showed up suddenly just as Jess and I walked up to the front door.” She smiled at her, “Your dad is being awfully greedy and I need you to help us figure out what House Baltiliard has that could be equal in value to my father’s title.” Alesha smiled at Ashton and walked over to sit next to him, “Hmm, what is he offering currently?” Ashton turned to her, “Two of the prized fouls.” She laughed, “Did he really believe two prized fouls are equivalent to the Dukedom of Blackwood? Oh daddy, how terrible!” She smiled over at me, “Your Grace, you know we have yaima fruit but what you don’t know is that father figured out a way to produce wine out of it. It’s way better than anything you have ever tasted in all of Vellum. I believe you can ask for a stake in the profit of the wine business that he is planning on opening exclusively to the upper hierarchy of Vellum. I’d ask for twenty-five percent with twenty percent sent directly to Alexandra’s name. This will more than compensate House Batiste and more particularly Alexandra for the loss of her rightful title.” Alesha looked at Alexandra apologetically and Alexandra smiled and shook her head. Ashton looked at me hopefully and I sighed for what seemed like the millionth time today, “That’s all well and good but how can I be assured this wine is so great?” She winked at me and smiled, “He brought a bottle to share with you. He was going to sell you the stake already, you should just ask for it as compensation for his ask.” I smiled at her, “You are quite brilliant, my dear. I can see why my son is in love with you. I will take your advice.”
I got up from my seat in the dining room just as Dana had entered with the cup of tea, “I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner, Your Grace. The first cup of tea I made was stolen by Lord Talon.” I smiled at her and shook my head, “You can give it to the new The Batiste, young Ashton.” With that, I crossed into the foyer where Jess was standing and she smiled, “Hello Your Grace, I trust things are going well. You seem like a weight has been lifted off of you.” I smiled and patted her on the shoulder as I passed her, “I’m much better thanks to Lady Baltiliard.” She smiled and nodded, “Good luck, Your Grace.” I opened the door to the study and strode in, “Your daughter will get the title of Duchess upon my retirement but I have a stipulation. I believe you have brought a bottle of wine that you were going to share with me.” Desmond gasped, “You spoke to Alesha, didn’t you?” I nodded, “She thought what you offered for the title wasn’t enough and I agree. Alexandra would be the one to suffer here but if you gave her the stake in your company, I believe we can agree to the terms.” He chuckled, “I knew she’d do anything to get this done. Very well but I’m still going to give your sweet daughter one of my ponies. She can ride her over to check on the vineyard. We can try the wine now.” I strode over to pull out four glasses and walked back to my place by the fire and placed them on the table in front of Desmond. He poured the four of us a glass of the wine and he offered a toast, “The successful union of our two families and may young Alexandra be happy in love too.” Lucien nervously chuckled and blushed, “I can drink to that for sure.” Desmond took a sip and smirked at Lucien, “I knew it! Alesha said you might be falling for Alexandra and she had no shot at the throne. It’s why I was okay with her approaching the fae princess to have her eliminated. So are you going to rig the competition to let Alexandra win?” He looked at Lucien expectantly and I looked at him too and he muttered, “Sadly, I won’t.” I smiled at him, “I would have been disappointed in you if you had said yes. She would have been too. She told me how she felt about you when she got back. I won’t say no to you, Lucien, should she win.”
He cleared his throat, looked away to the fire, and sipped his wine then made an “mmm” sound. I smiled at the funny noise he made and took a sip myself. The fruity and not very sharp wine danced around my tongue and there were so many taste sensations in this wine. It was sweet and tangy and with the right kick of alcohol to make you feel something in your heart. I widened my eyes and looked at Desmond and he smiled back, “What do you think?” I took another sip and drew a calm breath, “It’s like love in a glass. I feel so light and wonderful. What are you going to call it?” He shrugged, “For some reason, the name came to me in a dream and when it did I had the feeling that House Batiste should be a part of this venture. It seems so very…well…to be honest, Alexandra.” I looked at him confused, “You’re going to name it Alexandra?” Lucien laughed, “I’ll buy a hundred cases if you name it that. She’s incredible and so is this wine.” Desmond laughed and shook his head, “As tempting as it may be, I wasn’t going to name it Alexandra. I merely said for some reason it made me think of her due to her ability. Do you get it?” Lucien and I looked at each other and let out in unison an “Ohhh” as if we both got it at the same time. I looked at Desmond and asked, “So what will you name it then?” He smiled and simply said, “Solamor.”
